“The other one was still fighting with Malky, but when he saw me, he managed to get away and charged at me with a dirk in his hand, intending to stab me. I could have handled him myself, but Malky threw himself in front of me and took the blow himself. He died instantly. I finished off his attacker, but it didn’t matter… My cousin was dead.”
Again he stopped, and this time Eliza saw tears beginning to leak from his eyes.
“We never found the other murderer, so he is still out there somewhere. But the worst thing of all was that no one except Malky and I knew that I was going out with him. He was not the target.”
Eliza gasped, her eyes widening as realisation hit home. “You mean the attack was meant for you?”
Duncan wiped away her tears with the heel of his hand, and nodded.
“So someone inside the castle betrayed you,” Eliza said, hardly able to get the words out. “And now the same thing happened again, and I was almost responsible for your death because I didn’t ride in the carriage.” Her voice was bitter. “I’m truly sorry, Duncan.”
“No,” he said firmly. “The only people who should be sorry are the men who attacked us. You were not responsible, Eliza.”
There was a brief silence while Eliza digested Duncan's words, then she said, “Let me tend to that wound. I may not be a proper healer, but I have had to patch my sisters up many, many times!”
Eliza sent for Maisie, who brought bandages, a healing salve and some willow bark tea for Duncan’s pain. She left with an almost disbelieving look at Duncan. Perhaps she had never seen a half-naked man before, especially not one as well-made as Duncan, Eliza thought, laughing inwardly.
Eliza washed the wound, then applied the salve and tied the bandage around Duncan’s shoulder, passing it under his arm to secure it. She almost had to force him to drink the tea, which was very bitter, but he consoled himself with a small glass of whisky, which Eliza refused.
“Do you not like our national drink?” he asked with mock outrage.
“Keep it a secret, but no,” Eliza replied, pretending to look around to see if anyone was listening.
She touched the bandage again to make sure that it was secure and in the process accidentally brushed over a sensitive spot, and Duncan winced.
“I’m sorry, I—” She began to apologise, but she never got the chance because Duncan’s lips were suddenly upon hers, caressing them tenderly.
At least, it began that way, then it became deeper, harder, hungrier, until he broke away and said desperately, “I need you so much, Eliza.”
“I need you too,” she replied, her voice husky with desire, then, despite his injured shoulder, Duncan picked Eliza up and laid her tenderly on his bed. He climbed on after her and knelt beside her to untie her robe.
Meanwhile, Eliza undid the belt on his kilt, letting it slide down over his lean hips, and she saw again the shaft of hismanhood that had intimidated her so much the first time she laid eyes on it. But it was not a source of fear any more, but a source of pleasure, and she was desperate to have him inside her.
Duncan followed her gaze and asked, “Are you wondering what you can do for me?”
“Yes,” Eliza admitted. “You gave me so much pleasure last time.”
“I can think of dozens of things,” he breathed, his eyes smouldering with desire. He stepped forward and stripped Eliza’s nightgown off by pulling it over her head, almost tearing it in the process.
Then he took her hand and wrapped it around his shaft, showing her how to move it up and down so that he was gasping with pleasure.
It felt very strange, Eliza thought. The skin on top was as smooth and soft as velvet, but it slid over flesh that was much harder underneath.
Presently, he said, “Take him in your mouth.”
Eliza did as he had instructed and immediately, to her amazement, felt his flesh fill the whole of her mouth. She had no idea he was so big.
“I love to see you obeying me,” he said gruffly.
At first, she had no idea what to do, but Duncan cupped the back of her head and eased her into a gentle back and forward rhythm.
Then she remembered what he had done to the most sensitive parts of her body, and began to suck, lick and gently scrape him with her teeth. When her tongue touched the tip of his shaft, he groaned and pulled out of her.
Alarmed, Eliza asked, “Did I hurt you?”
“God, no,” he replied fervently. “But if you do that for much longer I will not be able to satisfy you, Eliza.”
“Then satisfy me now,” she whispered. “I love to see you obey me.”
